The sparkler is one pyrotechnic device that is considered reasonably safe for handling by children. However, the sparks emitted by sparklers can result in blisters, and the wire handle can become hot enough to burn the skin of a child or at least to cause the child to drop the sparkler. Punk, on a thin stick, is also a source of some danger to children, because it is often not immediately apparent where the hot part of the punk is. In lighting gas water heaters or the like, it is frequently necessary to stick one's hand into the burner area in which the pilot light is to be lighted, and on occasion, if gas has accumulated, the introduction of a lighted taper may cause a blow-back that is liable to singe the hand of the person trying to light the pilot light.
One of the objects of this invention is to provide a protective device for the hand of the person holding a pyrotechnic device such as a sparkler, punk, or match, which can be reused again and again.
Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawing.
In accordance with this invention, generally stated, a hand protector includes an inverted cup, open at a bottom, and of a size to admit a hand, and a handle within the compass of the cup, the handle being of a size to be grasped by the hand. The handle is hollow through at least a portion of its length, has a closed part and an open part with a mouth opening through a top end of the cup, and, in the preferred embodiment, a plug of pliable material in the mouth. The pliable material is of consistency and axial length such as to receive and securely but removably to hold the stem of a pyrotechnic device. In the preferred embodiment, the handle extends to a point above the plane of the bottom of the cup, and the pliable material is of a character of Poster Putty.RTM. or Handi-Tak.RTM., commercially available products. The plug of such pliable material is largely self-healing, and is capable of holding a stem securely but removably, again and again. Preferably, the handle has in it a stop, which can be in the form of a disk or plug. The stop serves to limit the depth to which the stem of the sparkler or the like can be inserted, so as to leave enough projecting stem below the sparkler material to permit the ready insertion of the wire stem of the sparkler without engaging the pyrotechnic material, and once the material has burned, after a suitable length of time, to permit the spent sparkler to be removed with a minimum of danger to the fingers of the person removing it.
Because the handle is shorter than the distance from the top of the cup to the open edge, the cup can be used as a stand, as well as a hand protector, to permit a punk, for example, to be set up and firecrackers lit from the burning punk. As is apparent, if the device is used to hold a taper, the danger to the hand and forearm of the user, in lighting a gas appliance, is minimized. In the preferred embodiment, the cup and handle are made in one piece, from a plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene, with a substantially uniform wall thickness, and the stop is an insert in the handle.